This proposal requests partial support for the 5th International Meeting on Gene and[unreadable] Cell Therapies for Arthritis and Related Disorders to be held in Seattle Washington, at[unreadable] the Bell Harbor Conference Center April 29-May 1, 2008. The purpose of the meeting is[unreadable] to increase our understanding of rheumatologic and orthopaedic disorders, and the[unreadable] application of genetic, biologic and cell-based technologies for their treatment. The longterm[unreadable] goals of this continuing series of meetings are to accelerate pre-clinical research[unreadable] and development of these treatment approaches, and facilitate their translation into[unreadable] clinical application. The specific aims of the current meeting will be to convene 31[unreadable] speakers that represent critical aspects of the relevant scientific areas with a total of up[unreadable] to 100 participants for a three day conference to review and discuss scientific progress,[unreadable] establish collaborative relationships and chart future research directions. The meeting[unreadable] program will feature a keynote address and eight sessions that broadly address[unreadable] Developments in Gene Transfer Technologies, Gene and Biological Approaches for[unreadable] Arthritis, Innovative Approaches to Immunomodulation, Strategies for Bone and[unreadable] Cartilage Healing, Regulatory Issues and Clinical Studies for Arthritis, and Bone and[unreadable] Cartilage Repair. There will also be a poster session as well as a dedicated oral session[unreadable] for Young Investigators, enabling all attendees the opportunity to actively participate in[unreadable] the conference.